Planet Plumbing and Drain has received the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Longevity Award for 2013. A review of our records by the BBB shows that our company had no complaints since, December 17, 2001 – 12 years!

Planet Plumbing and Drain has received the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Gold Star Certificate for 2013. A review of our records by the BBB sows that our company had no complaints in the past three years, January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2013!

Planet Plumbing and Drain in Boulder is proud to announce that they have been awarded a three year contract, with Boulder Housing Partners to provide Drain and Sewer Line Maintenance Services for multi-family housing sites in Boulder Colorado. There is an option to renew for two additional years. The RFP process began on February 10, 2014, and the contract was awarded on March 11, 2014.

About Planet Plumbing

Founded in 1997, Planet Plumbing and Drain is a leading plumbing, drain, and sewer service company serving Boulder County.

Planet Plumbing and Drain offers the following qualifications.

Master Plumbers License (#189715)

State Plumbing Contractor License (#2448)

Backflow Prevention Certification (ASSE)

Licensed and Insured

Rinnai Tankless Water Heater Certification

BBB A+ Rating

BBB Gold Star Award 2003-2012

BBB Longevity Award – no complaints in 11 years

About Boulder Housing Partners (BHP)

Founded in 1966, Boulder Housing Partners (BHP) is the housing authority for the City of Boulder. Our goal is to make living in Boulder possible and affordable, regardless of income. We are committed to fostering a healthy sense of community in every property we develop.

We are a local Boulder plumbing company that has been serving Boulder, Weld, and Broomfield Counties since 1997 and have the qualifications and experience to solve any of your sump pump, plumbing, sewer, or drain problems due to the catastrophic flooding in Boulder and Weld County.

We are a local Boulder plumbing company that has been serving Boulder, Weld, and Broomfield Counties since 1997 and have the qualifications and experience to solve any of your plumbing, sewer, or drain problems due to the catastrophic flooding in Boulder and Weld County.

DENVER — We thought we had caught all of the deception on hidden camera after we confronted plumbing and heating technicians overcharging us for a minor repair on a water heater that just about anybody could fix.

We even busted a repairman breaking our water heater, apparently on purpose just so he could charge us $1,753.

But then we discovered we had been deceived by Plumbline services, the company we trusted to help us set up our test.

They disconnected a hose on our water heater so we could see which other companies would charge us a fair price to plug it back in.

After our story aired, we received several news tips accusing Plumbline of tipping off Applewood Plumbing, the company we thought “passed our test with flying colors,” because their technician was the only one who re-connected the hose for free.

At first we found the allegation hard to believe, after all why would Plumbline tip off their competitor, Applewood? But then we confirmed the two companies belong to the same marketing and training group, “NexStar,” and as part of their membership they share information.

We when we confronted Plumbline, the owner, Jeff Belk, came clean.

“In no way, shape or form were we trying to do anything malicious or hurtful to you or anybody,” he told us.

But Applewood initially denied any prior knowledge of our test.

The company later sent us a statement saying it “had heard from a number of sources that a sting story was in the works.”

Still, an Applewood representative insists even if they did know about the test, (the technician) “would not have handled that call any differently with prior knowledge or not.”

Rick Nierman disagrees.

Nierman told us Applewood tried to charge him more than $700 for a part he later bought for just over $45.

He is just one of dozens of viewers who emailed or called us following our first story, claiming they had been overcharged by Applewood.

Jeff Metz, owner of Done plumbing, was shocked that Plumbline let Applewood in on our investigation.

“That`s not fair at all,” he said.

Done is one of only four companies that legitimately passed our test. The other companies are: ARS, Heating Tech and Whipple.

We tried to test AAA Services plumbing, but when we called the company we were told they didn’t have a technician available until mid-March.

We called back with a different number and address and a dispatcher said they could come out “right away.”

We have since learned AAA Service is also a NexStar member and had been tipped off to our test.

Here are the Colorado Plumbing and heating companies that belong to NexStar:

Golden West Plumbing: did not return our call inquiring if their technicians make commission.

AAA Service Plumbing: refused to tell us if their technicians make commission.

DENVER — FOX31 Denver wired a house with hidden cameras to put ten Colorado plumbing and heating companies to the test and what we discovered in our undercover investigation was unsettling.

To set up the scenario, we asked Plumbline Services to disconnect a hose on a combination water heater-furnace unit.

According to Matt Glick from Plumbline, the “repair” should have taken only minutes and should have cost no more than the $30 to $50 trip fee, which is what most companies charge for a house call.

The first repairman was from Applewood Plumbing and the technician passed the test with flying colors. He not only reconnected the hose, but he did it for free.

A Plumber from Whipple also found the problem right away. He charged us a $49 trip fee, as did most of the other plumbers we contacted.
But then we got what seemed like a “bait and switch” from Ben Franklin.

The plumbing company quoted us $49 on the phone, but soon after the technician reconnected the hose, he told us the actual minimum price for even the easiest job was $148.

Ben Franklin sent us a statement which says, in part, “because (the technician) ended up fixing the problem he charged a minor adjustment fee of $148 and waived the $49 appointment fee.”

Then there’s Bob from Roto Rooter, who connected the hose for $217. When the homeowner questioned the price, Bob said “I’ll go un-fix it.”
Roto Rooter’s general manager, Jeff Schnabel, admitted Bob made a mistake.

“He was so excited he found the issue, he just fixed it. The mistake he made is he didn`t go and find Linda and get her approval to do the job.”

We felt Action Appliance also overcharged us. For five minutes of work their bill totaled $208.

Still Action Appliance sent us a statement defending the cost.

“We charge a “fair” price for our professional service and quick (same day) response time.”

But no one compared to Tom from Appletree Plumbing Heating and Drains, who only had to glance at our water heater to know it was going to cost “big money.”

With our hidden cameras rolling, Tom quickly reconnected the hose and then fiddled with the water heater’s electrical system for more than 20 minutes. He then yanked out a wire, breaking the water heater’s circuit board–apparently on purpose.

Tom then told our homeowner the repair was going to cost $1,753.

We then came out from behind our hidden cameras and asked Tom if he was “ripping people off?”

Tom’s response? “No, we are not.”

We then showed our footage to the owner of Appletree, Brad Apple, and he said, “I do have an issue with this. It will be addressed and if (Tom) is with us, something like this will never happen with him again or with anyone in our company in the future.”
The day after our interview, Apple called to inform us Tom had been fired.

His lawyer sent this statement which reads in part, “AppleTree has successfully served over 100,000 client calls over the last decade, doing so with honesty, integrity and outstanding customer service…We stand behind our work and remain committed to providing trustworthy services through accurate diagnoses, quality workmanship and competitive pricing.”

The list of the plumbing and heating companies that passed our test include:

Applewood Plumbing

ARS

Heating Tech

Whipple

Done

We felt the following companies overcharged us during our hidden camera investigation:

Ben Franklin

Roto Rooter

Action Appliance

AppleTree

Jan Zavislan, with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, says you should do your research on plumbing and heating companies before you’re faced with an emergency.

“Ask your neighbors who they recommend,” Zavislan said. “And search online for any complaints.”
He also told us you should never leave a repairman alone.

“Show them where your problem is and watch what they are doing,” he said.

If you suspect you’ve been deceived, then file a formal complaint with the attorney general’s office and the Better Business Bureau.

“If contractors are in the house and they are misrepresenting the need for service, the scope of service or the price of service it is a violation of the Consumer Protection Act,” Zavislan said.